The vulture is a large, carnivorous bird that is most well known for its scavenging nature.
Vultures are pretty flexible when it comes to their habitat, as long as there is food, although you won't find them in Australia, polar regions, or most small islands.
These unusual birds are divided into two groups: New World vultures, which are from North, Central, and South
America; and Old World vultures, which live in Africa, Asia, and Europe.
There are 7 species of New World vultures include condors, and the 16 Old World species include the lammergeier and griffons.
Life span is from 11 to 47 years, depending on species.
The largest is Himalayan griffon (Gyps himalayensis), up to 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) tall with a wingspan up to
3.1 meters …show more content…
The smallest and lightest is palm-nut vulture (Gypohierax angolensis), 2 feet (60 centimeters) tall and weight up to 1.7 kilograms (3.7 pounds).
Vultures are built for their messy job.
All vultures have a wide wingspan, which allows them to soar for long periods of time without flapping so much as a feather while looking for carrion (dead or decaying flesh) to eat.
Vultures have strong and curved beaks for ripping apart meat.
They have bald heads and usually don't have feathers on their necks, either. Bare skin in those areas helps the birds stay cleaner when they stick their head into a carcass to feed.
If a vulture gets goop in its feathers, the bird picks itself clean with its beak, but it wouldn't be able to clean its own head!
With no feathers to trap gunk on a vulture's head, meat and blood just dry and flake off.
A strong immune system allows vultures to eat rotting and possibly infected meat without getting sick.
These birds play an important role in nature by cleaning disease out of the environment. This helps protect other animals and people from getting sick.
Although vultures generally don't kill their own meals, there are a few exceptions. They sometimes go
Vultures are pretty flexible when it comes to their habitat, as long as there is food, although you won't find them in Australia, polar regions, or most small islands.
These unusual birds are divided into two groups: New World vultures, which are from North, Central, and South
America; and Old World vultures, which live in Africa, Asia, and Europe.
There are 7 species of New World vultures include condors, and the 16 Old World species include the lammergeier and griffons.
Life span is from 11 to 47 years, depending on species.
The largest is Himalayan griffon (Gyps himalayensis), up to 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) tall with a wingspan up to
3.1 meters …show more content…
The smallest and lightest is palm-nut vulture (Gypohierax angolensis), 2 feet (60 centimeters) tall and weight up to 1.7 kilograms (3.7 pounds).
Vultures are built for their messy job.
All vultures have a wide wingspan, which allows them to soar for long periods of time without flapping so much as a feather while looking for carrion (dead or decaying flesh) to eat.
Vultures have strong and curved beaks for ripping apart meat.
They have bald heads and usually don't have feathers on their necks, either. Bare skin in those areas helps the birds stay cleaner when they stick their head into a carcass to feed.
If a vulture gets goop in its feathers, the bird picks itself clean with its beak, but it wouldn't be able to clean its own head!
With no feathers to trap gunk on a vulture's head, meat and blood just dry and flake off.
A strong immune system allows vultures to eat rotting and possibly infected meat without getting sick.
These birds play an important role in nature by cleaning disease out of the environment. This helps protect other animals and people from getting sick.
Although vultures generally don't kill their own meals, there are a few exceptions. They sometimes go